Bowden Setting Tone as UK Rounds into Form
Last Sunday and Monday brought some hard conversations for the Kentucky coaching staff.
The topic was the quarterback position, where the Wildcats had turned to Lynn Bowden Jr. the last two weeks. Coming off a shutout loss at Georgia and with Sawyer Smith getting closer to 100%, Mark Stoops, Eddie Gran and Darin Hinshaw had a decision to make.
“Coach Gran and I and Coach Hinshaw and I really kicked it around a long time on Sunday,” Stoops said. “Got together probably three times and then again Monday morning. It was pretty heavy, weighing pretty heavy on Coach Gran and Coach Hinshaw, which direction and how to build the offense around it, what we’re going to do.”
After intense deliberations, the staff landed on Bowden as their starter for UK’s game against Missouri. The plan was to get Smith some snaps as well, but Bowden was going to be Q1.
Then the Cats went to work.
“This past week, our confidence level went through the roof going good against good in practice,” Bowden said. “Both sides of the ball, we had a lot of confidence.”
There was no falseness about that confidence either. After the way Kentucky handled its business against the visiting Tigers in a 29-7 win on a rain-soaked Saturday night at Kroger Field, there can be no question about that.
“Really good victory for our team and for our program,” Stoops said. “Really proud of the guys. I told you, I told them: The last three, four weeks feel like they’ve really been jelling, working exceptionally hard, sure playing for each other, very unselfish. A big thing is about playing hard and having great determination throughout the week to prepare the right way.”
On both counts, UK could not ask for a better tone-setter than Bowden.
Less than a month into a return to his high-school position from wide receiver, Bowden is meticulous in his preparation during the week and unrelenting on Saturdays. Carrying a load that would be impossibly heavy for a lesser athlete and player, Bowden now has 499 rushing yards and four touchdowns in his three starts at quarterback. That includes an astounding 21 carries for 204 yards and a pair of scores against a Missouri team that entered Saturday ranked seventh nationally in total defense.
“What can you say about Lynn?” Stoops said. “Amazing. Just so tough, so tough, and talented. Really had the weather been clearer like it was in the first half, I think he would’ve thrown the ball really well tonight, because we had some opportunities because of how dynamic he is in the run game.”
Indeed, Bowden hit on three of his first four passes before the rain really picked up, including a perfectly thrown downfield strike to Bryce Oliver for a 44-yard gain. He would throw only two passes in the second half, but more weren’t needed. Not with UK having built a 22-0 lead at the break.
“That felt good,” Bowden said. “We always told them throughout the week, ‘One play is going to come.’ A couple of the balls could have been caught tonight. We’re going to work on that and it just felt good.”
UK will surely need more out of its passing game over the final third of the season, but Bowden showed he’s capable of delivering it. And if he does, end-of-season accolades like the Midseason AP All-American honor he received last week will surely come.
“I’m just trying to win,” Bowden said. “I’m here to win. That’s what I’m focused on. All those can come later on. I’m trying to win.”
Undoubtedly, that kind of attitude has played a role in the way Bowden’s teammates are raising their game around him, from the offensive line – penalty-free on Saturday – to an improving defense.
For the third game in a row, that defense held an opposing offense to its lowest yardage total of the season. This time, only a 74-yard touchdown on a third-and-12 screen pass stood between the Cats and a shutout.
“They played hard,” defensive coordinator Brad White said. “They played well. They played aggressive. We got two turnovers, which we were fighting for. We also got two fourth-down stops, so really a good performance. Proud of how they competed all day long.”
The most crucial stops of the night came after Mizzou had cut the lead to 22-7 and was threatening to create some tense moments on an otherwise celebratory, if wet, night. The first came on the heels of a Bowden fumble that set Mizzou up near midfield, with the Cats forcing a quick three-and-out. The next time, one of Mizzou’s only two sustained drives of the game was stuffed in fourth down in the red zone.
“They rose up and they responded in that moment,” White said. “That was huge. That was big for our entire team.”
UK will ride the momentum of that stop and the win it helped preserve into a second bye this week. After it, the Cats will host Tennessee to begin a four-game stretch to close the season.
For now though, they’re going to enjoy themselves.
“So proud of our coaches,” Stoops said. “They’ve worked exceptionally hard. Players have worked hard. Greatly appreciate the fan base. That was amazing for them to be out there tonight. Brutally rough night with the wind and rain being constant out there. Thank you so much. It was still a great environment out there tonight and it makes a difference. Our guys were having fun, so appreciate that.”
